A Changing of Faith
by barbarapotter
Summary: Seventh year. Harry's back at Hogwarts...but a reSorted Hogwarts student enters their dormitory and after that...everything changes. Will Faith be on Harry's side?
1. Those Violet Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone in the Harry Potter universe…except for Faith! So have a little of that and enjoy the story! )**

**A CHANGING OF FAITH**

**CHAPTER ONE – THOSE VIOLET EYES**

Harry and Ron had just finished an excruciatingly long game of Wizard's Chess, in which Harry had finally beaten his best friend. It was just past one o'clock in the morning. They were the only two left in the Gryffindor common-room. Hermione had long-since gone to bed after watching her two best friends battle it out for five hours straight.

Harry was now in his seventh year and had been chosen Head Boy over Ron Weasley, who did not mind in the least.

"At least you'll get to take points from Malfoy this year, if he ever crosses the line." Ron had said when Harry had gotten the news this summer at the Burrow.

Suddenly, Harry threw up his arms in agitation, "Ah, you let me win!" protested Harry, but Ron's face remained expressionless. The only times Harry had won a game was when Ron fudged a move here and there to make it easier for Harry to beat him. Ron looked Harry in the eye and said, "You won this one fair and square, mate! I left my king out to dry because I thought your knight was going to take my queen instead! It was a fair match, Harry!"

For once, Harry wasn't going to argue with his best friend. All he wanted to do now was sleep, but as soon as he got up to stretch…and in the middle of a loud yawn, no less…the portrait hole opened. Ron and Harry turned and gave each other the same bewildered look. There wasn't supposed to be _anyone_ wandering around the castle at night anymore due to Voldemort's actions.

To their surprise…albeit a pleasant one…in walked an extremely pretty girl Harry had seen around Hogwarts; only she had belonged to another house – Ravenclaw. The girl had to be at least sixteen and had a head of long auburn curls that cascaded down her back and stopped just short of her waist; her skin was sun-kissed to perfection and her complexion, flawless. A pair of startling violet eyes smiled at him, as did her full and perfectly shaped lips. Harry could see that she was carrying a beautiful raven-coloured owl in a large silver cage.

Harry's face was beet red out of embarrassment, but the girl patiently waited for him to finish stretching before speaking.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," said the girl, "My name is Faith. Faith Amara Richardson. Professor McGonagall said I would still find the two of you out of bed…something about finishing a marathon game of wizard's chess," Faith laughed, which was musical and infectious. Harry looked at Ron who was turning red at the tips of his ears. All they could do was nod.

"Well," continued Faith, "Since the Death Eaters' attack on the school and the death of our beloved Headmaster, my mother suggested that I be re-sorted this year. She's always said I've been brave in the face of danger. Of course, I don't imagine you'd remember there being a Death Eater killed that day? Well, it was I who killed him. Not the cleverest thing to do, being a Ravenclaw, but it was something brave and Gryffindor-like," she said, as she cleared her throat, "I've just been re-Sorted and the hat put me in Gryffindor. So I'm here to ask you, Harry, as Head Boy, if you'd forgive my lateness. I was packing up my things and I didn't realize it was so late until I checked my watch a few minutes ago. It won't happen again."

Harry was staring. He couldn't believe he hadn't really noticed this girl before now. She was a striking beauty now that he had a better look at her. Faith had a darling womanly figure, and wore a simple blue cotton t-shirt and a pair of sheep-print pyjama pants. He and Ron still wore their Hogwarts robes, as they hadn't bothered to change since dinner.

"We didn't see you being Sorted today," Harry said, finally, "Was it a private ceremony, then?"

Faith nodded. "Professor McGonagall insisted on it," she said, her lips forming a small grin, "Only after my mother sent her a howler about it."

"A howler?" asked Ron, "Isn't that for parents who want to yell at their children for doing something wrong? What did Professor McGonagall do to get one from your mother?"

"Well," began Faith, "It wasn't a bad howler at all. Mum wanted to get me re-Sorted as soon as possible because I had used the Killing Curse on a human being and that took a lot of courage - something she thought I had lacked. Mum had been in Gryffindor, too, as well as Dad. Our whole family's been up until me, but when I showed more intelligence than bravery exactly six years ago today, I was Sorted into Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall saw fit to have me try the Hat on again…just in case, you know…and it took a long time before deciding to re-Sort me into Gryffindor. I'd just left Professor McGonagall's office, where she gave me the password…and here I am."

Harry looked at Ron again, but smiled at Faith. _So she was in seventh year_…he thought, smiling even wider. Harry had never heard of anyone switching houses before. It was exciting to have her in Gryffindor. This was also the first time he learned that a witch his age had successfully attempted and executed a Killing Curse without being expelled or punished. He wondered how on Earth she had managed it! Ron nudged Harry and whispered, "I'm going to bed, mate. I want to be up early to catch Hermione before breakfast," he said, "Good night."

"Good night, Ron," Harry whispered and watched as Ron gathered his chessboard and pieces and saunter upstairs to their dormitory, "I'll be up soon."

The two of them watched as Ron slowly disappeared from view. The two stood in silence for a moment. Faith seemed to be rocking in place…looking quite bored, actually.

"Glad you're here, Faith," Harry finally said. Harry felt his words were coming out too quickly for Faith to understand, but he wanted to say them before he forgot something, "I hope you will find Gryffindor to your liking. It's by far the best house, but I'm sure everyone else says that about his or her house. Hermione and the rest of the girls are asleep upstairs. I can take you up to your dormitory if you like."

Faith smiled and said, "Thanks, Harry," she said, "But I think I can find my way. Up the stairs and to the left using the staircase on the right, isn't it?"

Harry slowly nodded, "How did you know?" Harry felt his heart race and his stomach felt like it had a thousand tiny little butterflies beating their wings against the lining.

"It's written in many books about Hogwarts. I read it in _Hogwarts…A Revised History_." said Faith. Harry started to roll his eyes. She reminded him a bit of Hermione, but different…and a lot easier on the eyes, "But when I spoke with the Fat Lady, she told me where it was just in case anyone was asleep when I came in. I suppose I'll be going to bed now. Good night, Harry."

Faith began ascending the stairs but Harry caught up to and walked beside her. Harry tried to shake the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't. Faith's eyes met his for a brief moment and she gave him a warm smile as they reached the door to the girls' dormitory. The guys' dormitory was on the other side of the large stone pillar.

"On behalf of the Gryffindors, I welcome you to your dormitory," Harry said majestically. He then recalled seeing Faith at the sorting ceremony six years ago. She was a lot shorter back then, but he recalled that she had the same hair and eyes. Harry wondered if she had ever been a friend to Cho Chang. Last year, Harry had kissed Ginny Weasley and since it was too much to late, Harry decided to call everything off – amid Ginny's protestations, of course, "I hope you sleep well."

"Thanks. You too," she replied, then she leaned in to whisper something into his ear, her hot breath sent shivers down his spine, "You know, Harry, the Ministry has awarded me a position as an Auror because they've never seen a person my age use the Killing Curse before. I'm not sure how much our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to teach us this year, but they should teach us things that pertain to the pending war. Duelling, in particular. I believe there is going to be a war and we have to be prepared. Now I've been given a special assignment for the year and I hope that I'll be able to do it. It makes me glad that I passed my Apparition test on the first attempt. Sorry, I must be talking your ear off. I tend to do that when I'm excited about something. We'll chat in the morning. Good night, Harry."

Faith smiled at him before entering the girls' dormitory. Harry returned the smile and walked to his own dormitory. He must've had a slightly odd expression on his face as he entered the dormitory because Ron immediately noticed, "So did you two snog? Is that why you've got that goofy grin on your face?"

Harry shook his head, "No, of course not!" he said, "Faith and I were just chatting about what happened last year."

"Right," said Ron, not believing a word Harry said, "Like I'm going to fall for that one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry, as he crossed the room to his bed. He changed into his pyjamas as Ron tried to explain.

"Nothing, really," said Ron, "It's just that you ended up snogging my sister last year, then you toss her because you're afraid you'll put her in danger. Aren't you afraid of what Ginny will do if she finds out you're seeing Faith?"

Harry finished pulling on his shirt and said, "What do you mean, what's _Ginny_ going to do? It was only a kiss, Ron! It's not like I was going to _shag_ her senseless!"

Ron's eyes went wide, "You did not just go there, Harry! You didn't!" he protested, his face and ears reddening in anger, "Listen, mate, if you and Ginny had realized how you felt about one another, you'd still be together. Now she's been nothing but depressed since you chucked her and you don't even care how she feels. Some best friend you've turned out to be!" Ron tossed away his shoes so loudly that it made a noise. Thankfully, it didn't wake Seamus, Dean or Neville.

Harry felt annoyed. He hadn't meant to hurt Ginny. It was just something that happened because he just couldn't stand her being with Dean. He had been attracted to her enough to want to kiss her, although it wouldn't have worked out in the end because he would either have to kill or be killed. Of course, Dumbledore had told Harry that it was Voldemort who had created his own enemy and that Harry was the only one that could finish him off. Well, he couldn't very well talk to Dumbledore now, but he could just hear Dumbledore say, "You won't rest until you've killed him. You've got to do it!"

After wiping a stray tear he didn't know had fallen, Harry pulled on his pants and climbed into bed. He needed to practice his Occlumency, but couldn't get Faith's violet eyes out of his mind.

_What is she doing to me?_ Harry asked himself. _What's so great about those wonderful violet pools?_

Harry eventually managed to rid his mind of Faith and every other thought and emotion that crossed his mind…especially the anger he felt towards Ron…and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Reveal Your Secrets

**CHAPTER TWO – REVEAL YOUR SECRETS**

The next morning, Harry dressed and went down to breakfast without Ron and Hermione. He sat there, mechanically eating his bacon and eggs, watching the High Table fill up. Snape had returned as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; Slughorn the Potions Master was seated next to him, and Harry was pleased to see that Lupin and Tonks were still around as added security. Hagrid looked a lot thinner and paler than normal, but he still towered over the students. He noticed Harry and beamed a wide smile. Harry grinned in return. He would make it a point to visit Hagrid more often this year.

Professor McGonagall had been named the new Headmistress of Hogwarts and would still be teaching Transfiguration. Firenze and Trelawney would still be taking turns teaching Divination, and even though Harry didn't have N.E.W.T. Divination, he wondered how Firenze's classes were going.

Harry thought about how proud Dumbledore would be of him that he wished to continue his education despite his longing to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. He had a flashback of Dumbledore's death just then, and had his head buried in his hands until he saw someone sit down across from him out of the corner of his eye.

"Good morning, Harry," said the voice cheerfully.

Harry looked up. He had known to whom that voice belonged even before he opened his eyes. She now wore Gryffindor robes and thought that she looked extremely pretty in them, "Good morning, Faith," Harry said, half-heartedly, holding up a plate, "Bacon?"

Faith smiled and took a few pieces of bacon off of the plate before Harry set it back down on the table, "Is something wrong?" she asked in a hushed tone, after she'd taken some scrambled eggs and toast, a look of concern washed over her face. There was also something in her eyes…a kind of warmth seemed to emanate from them…and she seemed to closely study his face.

Harry swallowed and cleared his throat before gazing into her eyes. Gosh, they were pretty, he thought, "Nothing," he said a little too quickly, but he matched her hushed tone, "Why would you think something's wrong?"

Faith's sympathetic expression never wavered, "I'm not stupid, Harry," she said, "I know what's bothering you. You can't let this get you down. Dumbledore would have wanted you to go on living your life. You can't just give up on everything you've accomplished. Nobody's come this far and quit just because they let something as insignificant as death get in the way of the greater good."

Harry blinked rapidly. Had Faith been eavesdropping on his conversations with Ron and Hermione at all during these past few years? Ravenclaw's table had always been adjacent to Gryffindor's, which did not help in the least. Whatever it was, Harry knew that he had better act fast before Faith continued with telling Harry his life story.

"Er – Faith, you haven't been eavesdropping on any of my conversations with Ron and Hermione over the years, have you?" he asked, crossing his fingers behind his back and hoping she hadn't.

Faith shook her head, "Why would I?" she asked, "I have this uncanny ability to read people, Harry. It's written all over your face."

"What is?" Harry asked, relieved that she hadn't been eavesdropping, but he was curious as to what she thought was so obvious to everyone.

"The fact that you're still grieving over your godfather's death, and Dumbledore's, too," said Faith, who paused to take a long drink of Pumpkin Juice from her goblet. She licked her lips before continuing, "I don't pretend to know how you feel, Harry, not by a long-shot. But if you're going to sit there and blame yourself for what happened, you shouldn't be."

Harry's eyes welled with tears as soon as he heard Sirius' name. Dumbledore was like a grandfather to him - his death was fresher in his mind and he missed him terribly - but Sirius was the closest thing Harry had to a father. Harry still blamed himself for what had happened, although Dumbledore had taken the blame for it after he'd told Harry everything about Professor Trelawney's Prophecy.

"Shouldn't I be?" he asked her, but as he blinked, his tears fell onto his eggs. Funnily enough, he didn't care that he was crying in front of Faith. Perhaps it was simply her presence that comforted him. Harry almost shouted, "I could've prevented it all! If I hadn't seen Voldemort torturing Sirius, he'd still be alive today. Who'd have known that Voldemort had used Legilimency against me to manipulate me into getting the Prophecy for him."

"Harry, I lost my godfather this year, too," said Faith soothingly, "These things happen, and we all make mistakes. That's what makes us human. We're not indestructible." Harry would not ask about her godfather now, because he somehow knew it upset her.

After wiping his eyes with his napkin, Harry blew his nose loudly and took a deep breath. Again, he looked into Faith's eyes…those beautiful violet eyes…and smiled through his tears, "I know that," he said, "But Sirius didn't need to die! It was my own stupidity that made him come to rescue me. Not even Dumbledore could've saved him. He had his own battles to fight…but I almost killed Dumbledore while I was in Voldemort's head. I could have been the one to finish him off…but thankfully I broke free and made it safely back to Hogwarts."

Something in Faith's eyes told Harry that he could fully trust her and even confide in her. Harry continued his story about the Prophecy, what it contained and how he was supposed to destroy the four remaining Horcruxes and his determination to do it during each Hogsmeade weekend.

"Three," Faith corrected, "There are three Horcruxes left, not four."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry was sure that there were four Horcruxes remaining, "Three? Are you serious? Dumbledore told me that there were four. We went searching to destroy one the night of the murder. When we came back, all I found out was that someone with the initials R. A. B. had found it and put a fake one in its place. As far as I know, there are four of them left. How do you know about them?"

Faith nodded, "I'm well aware of that," she told Harry. Her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, but Harry hung on every single word she said. She reminded him a bit of Professor McGonagall, or even Snape, who did not need to speak loudly to be heard in a room, "When I was accepted into Hogwarts, Harry, my parents warned me about the threat of another war. Like Dumbledore, my parents were part of the Order of the Phoenix and have been since the last time Voldemort was wreaking havoc on both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. When I was a little girl, my parents, who are both Aurors, told me exactly how Horcruxes were made and how they've rendered Voldemort virtually impossible to kill. However, he didn't plan on three of them being destroyed. You destroyed Riddle's diary, Harry. Professor Dumbledore destroyed a ring that had blackened his hand, and the other was destroyed by one of the Death Eaters themselves."

"Really?" asked Harry, surprised that she knew so much. It was comforting to know that her parents were Aurors, and part of the Order of the Phoenix, "Did they know he had the horcrux then?"

Faith put up her left index finger and looked to her right. Ron and Hermione had just entered the Great Hall, "They didn't know he had the horcrux or that he destroyed it, but they knew that he had wanted to leave them for good," she said, "The man I speak of, is Regulus Black."

"Black?" asked Harry, a little too loudly. Ron and Hermione had sat down next to them, and had probably heard his reaction.

"Morning, Harry!" sang Hermione, "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, but didn't reply just yet. He just admired the ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside. It looked magnificent. There were light, fluffy white clouds scattered here and there and you could hear birds twittering and chirping. Owls were arriving periodically, delivering mail to their owners. It looked like a lovely day for a game of Quidditch, the wonderfully popular wizarding sport played on broomsticks.

A few more Gryffindors had sat down at the table, but slowed down to take a closer glimpse of Faith, whose robes now bore Gryffindor's crest and looked very neat and pressed. The house-elves must've been up all night laundering and embroidering.

"Oh yeah," he said to Hermione, "It's a lovely day."

"What are you two on about?" she asked nosily, as she had her copy of Advanced Runes Translation open and a pad of parchment paper and quill in hand, making notes as she ate, "What does she know about Sirius?"

Harry and Faith exchanged a smile, "More than you think," he said, "When we've got a spare period, we'll talk…just don't bring Ron. I don't want to see him."

"Hey!" said Ron, whose mouth was half full, "I heard that!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and gave Harry a stern look, "If it's about Ginny, Harry, forget it. It's obvious that you've moved on. However it would be nice of you to apologize to her for ditching her like that."

"Not you, too, Hermione!" protested Harry, "I was attracted to Ginny and we snogged. I always got used to having her around, and I admit she's pretty, but I don't see how it's going to work because Voldemort goes after the people I care about. I care about Ginny too much for her to get hurt. The same goes for you, Hermione."

Harry heard a cough from Ron.

"Okay," said Harry, "I care about you, too, Ron."

Ron, who was sitting beside Harry, beamed a wide smile and embraced Harry in a half-hug.

"I hate staying angry with you, Harry," said Ron, who had pieces of bacon down his shirt and crumbs on his chin, "I guess I was just looking out for Ginny, and I realized that after I woke up, I realized I shouldn't have yelled at you. You're right. But if you were really shagging my sister…we'd have to have a serious little chat about that."

Ron and Harry burst into laughter, and Harry felt like he had his best friend back…which he did!

"Okay, did I miss something here?" asked Faith, "I'm totally lost."

"Oh, it's nothing," said Hermione, "Just something that happened between Harry and Ginny last year."

"Well, the conversation did involve you," confessed Ron, "I kind of jumped to the wrong conclusion when you were alone in the common-room with Harry last night. I thought the two of you had been snogging with the odd expression Harry had on his face as he came into the room."

Harry waited for Faith to explode with anger, but it wasn't so. In fact, she just laughed, "Oh, is that all?" she said, "Then it's okay. Harry and I haven't been snogging, but it sounds like good fun."

Both Ron and Hermione's eyes went wide at this comment and Harry blushed profusely. Harry took a long drink to cool himself down. Had she really meant that she wouldn't mind snogging him?

"Okay," she said, "So now that I have revealed who this person was that destroyed the locket, Harry, there's the snake, the cup and a tiny trophy that Godric Gryffindor had won for special services to the school that was stolen the year he graduated from Hogwarts. The question is, where are they?"

Harry nodded, but Ron and Hermione's expression never wavered.

"Wow," was all Ron could say.

"Well, that's a lot more information than I could have gotten from the library," said Hermione, who was chewing on the end of her quill, which meant she was deep in thought. After a brief pause, she continued, "But the name you mentioned was Black. Sirius Black. It doesn't fit with the initials that were in the note from the fake Horcrux, Faith. Good guess, though."

"Not Sirius," said Harry, "She was talking about another Black."

"Who, then?" asked Hermione.

"Regulus," said Faith, "Regulus Artemis Black."

Ron almost choked on his eggs, Hermione's eyes…if at all possible…went even wider, and her mouth gaped open, and Harry…well…Harry just smiled.

"You see," said Faith, in barely more than a whisper, "Regulus wanted to break free of the Death Eaters, and to eventually murder Voldemort himself. His last wish was to find and destroy each and every one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, which were mostly concealed by powerful magic after his first killing spree. After murdering hundreds of people, Voldemort split his soul six times and hid one piece in each item before going out to kill more Muggles and wizards alike."

"How do you know all of this?" asked Ron who raised his voice slightly, "Even Harry doesn't know half of this stuff! He's told us everything Dumbledore told him last year!"

Faith motioned for Ron to keep his voice down, "You don't know who's listening. Dumbledore's - " she said, cutting herself off and looking in the direction of the Slytherin table…particularly at Draco Malfoy. Harry did too. Malfoy seemed to be amusing himself with his two cronies, looking more foreworn than he did last year. His left arm was bandaged up, from what Harry could tell. It looked like he'd had something removed from it…the Dark Mark, perhaps? Faith continued, "Look, it isn't safe for me to continue here. On our first spare period, we should all meat down by the lake. I'll bring some homemade goodies and Butterbeer."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all nodded.

"I can't believe she knows more than you!" Ron said to Harry, "We knew Dumbledore was feeding you information about You-Know-Who, but he was holding back! How can he tell you so little, when Faith knows everything?"

Harry shrugged, "I dunno," he said, "There's something about her that makes me feel like I should trust her. I'm not sure what it is. It's just that when I look into her eyes, it's like her soul's telling me that I'll be fine. It's weird, but comforting at the same time."

"I'll say," said Ron, "Creepy, more like it."

Hermione clucked her tongue at Ron and gave him a stern look, "Don't say things like that when she's still within earshot, Ron!" she said, "Besides, the eyes are the window to your soul. Everyone knows that."

If Harry were really seeing Faith's soul, he liked what he saw thus far.

Before long, Professor Snape handed out the schedules. When he gave Faith her schedule, something happened between them. Snape beamed widely and said, "Good luck this term, Faith," he said, "You're lucky you weren't expelled for what you did last year, but if you continue to blossom under my watchful eye, you will gain full marks this year. Oh, and I've already Owled your parents about this, but as you know, we've needed added security after the unfortunate accident. How aggrieved I am that it was I who had uttered the curse that killed our Headmaster, but as you heard yesterday, it was under Dumbledore's orders that I did what I had to do."

Snape cleared his throat before continuing, "What I am asking of you, is your assistance in hosting a proper Duelling Club. You will, of course, be allowed to captain, and you will be allowed two assistant captains. I will explain the rules at our first Club meeting this Thursday evening. We will announce the club shortly," he said, turning to Harry and nodding, "Potter, I trust you will be continuing with the work that Dumbledore had started?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and then remembered what Snape had owled him about last week. Snape's apology came in a long letter, explaining why he needed to murder Dumbledore and his remorse for doing so. He nodded, "Yes, Sir," he said, then he said something he wished he'd told Snape earlier, "I'm sorry if I ever doubted your loyalty to Dumbledore, Sir."

Snape's expression never wavered, but Harry could see that his eyes were less cold, "Apology accepted, Potter," he said, "Finish your breakfast, it's getting cold."

With that, Snape thrust more schedules at the Gryffindors he passed and walked to the Ravenclaw table.

"What was that about?" asked Ron, "Not that letter he sent you this summer? You don't actually believe all that rubbish, do you?"

"I don't know what to believe," said Harry, "But I believe that Dumbledore's always had his reasons for trusting Snape. We've been wrong about him before. You remember the Philosopher's Stone? I thought he was trying to kill me during the Quidditch match, but it was Quirrell who tried to kill me. If he were really working for Voldemort, would he not have tried to kidnap me and take me to him? I don't know, Ron, but somehow we've got to trust Snape."

"You do remember that trial that went on this summer?" asked Harry. Hermione and Ron nodded, "They got Snape to reveal his thoughts in a special Pensieve which projects the image right onto a screen like a Muggle movie. Well, turns out that Dumbledore told Snape murder him if anything should go wrong. Snape explained it all to me in the letter. I have no choice but to believe him."

"Seems a bit fishy to me," said Hermione, "But then again, I've been wrong before. All right Harry, we're with you on this one."

"Thanks, Hermione," said Harry with a large grin. It meant a lot to Harry to have Hermione's support. Ron's support, he knew he always had…but there was always that question of whether or not Ron believed him, "Ron?"

Ron nodded and clapped him on the back, "Of course, mate," he said, "We're with you all the way."

Harry saw that Faith was busy reading the schedule so he asked, "What do we have today?"

Faith looked up and said, "Well, I'm not sure if I have the exact same schedule as you, Harry, but I have Transfiguration this morning, Ancient Runes, lunch, a spare and then Potions with Slughorn."

Hermione looked up from her schedule, "That's me as well," she said, "I thought you looked familiar when you entered the dormitory last night. Faith Richardson. You're the one Professor Fix always favoured."

Harry saw that Faith's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "Hermione!" said Ron, who apparently saw it too.

"What?" she asked, "I am not lying! I was top in our house, but Faith had better marks than me."

"I did not, Hermione!" Faith exclaimed, "I knew I fudged the last translation when we sat the O.W.L.'s fifth year…and I could have had a perfect mark in Potions if it weren't for the last ingredient I misspelled during the written portion. I think I misspelled bezoar. I spelled it _b-e-a-z-o-r_. I'm such a moron."

"Yeah," said Ron sarcastically, "You're just a regular idiot!"

He looked at Faith and smiled. She smiled back, "Hey, I think this is just the beginning of a very beautiful friendship!"

Hermione, however, was scowling. She never liked to be outshone by anyone, but Harry was hopeful that she would warm up to Faith very soon. They were in the same house for Merlin's sake!

The four of them continued talking about exams and classes, but just half past eight o'clock, Professor McGonagall tapped her goblet with a fork to get everyone's attention.

"May I have your attention, please?" she asked. The Great Hall quieted down enough for the Headmistress to continue, "As you all know, we have had a slight change in the schedule for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. There will be a special Duelling Club scheduled on Thursdays after dinner."

There was thunderous applause from the Ravenclaw table as Faith acknowledged her friends. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Faith exchanged knowing looks, and Professor McGonagall caught Faith's eye.

"Those of you who wish to participate are asked to sign up. There is a pad of parchment on the door to the antechamber. I will ask you to write your name, house and year on the sheet along with your gender. Professor Snape will continue explaining the situation. I need to prepare for my first class. Good day," said Professor McGonagall, as Snape stood and continued.

"A very special student, the best in her year, will be in charge of this Duelling Club, as she has been awarded a position at the Ministry this year as a Junior Auror. Faith Richardson of Gryffindor will be your captain," said Snape, but before he could continue he heard thunderous applause for Faith. Had word spread so quickly about her encounter with the Death Eater last year? Snape continued, unfazed by the sudden burst of applause, "She will choose two others on Thursday to be her assistant captains. A Duelling Competition will take place once a month, and prizes will also be awarded to the house that wins the most duels throughout the year. Your signature will bind you to the club until you have graduated. Also, about the New Year's Ball…the Headmistress has confirmed that you may wear whatever feels comfortable…as long as it is formal wear. Have a wonderful first day."

The students did not need to be told twice. With a newfound excitement, the Great Hall emptied quickly and everyone scattered to his or her first class. The four of them, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Faith headed straight to Transfiguration, which was on the second floor.

"I didn't know about the New Year's Ball!" said Ron, "Wasn't I here during dinner?"

"You were probably too busy eating to pay attention to anything else going on around you, Ronald!" chastised Hermione jokingly. Ron only just smiled.

"Maybe," he said, blushing quickly, "But I would have remembered to ask you right away, Hermione."

Harry noticed that Hermione blushed and nodded, "Sure, I'll go with you."

They left it at that. Harry walked beside Faith, who was telling them a bit about her family and her sister, Hope, who had graduated in June of the year that Faith wouldhave started atHogwarts.


	3. Transfiguration Mishap

Chapter Three – Transfiguration Mishap

Professor McGonagall had been waiting patiently for her seventh year students to arrive. Harry and Faith walked in to take their seats, but the two of them could only sit front-and-centre, as the seats had already filled to capacity. When the roll was taken, Professor McGonagall smiled warmly and said, "Welcome to Gryffindor, Miss Richardson."

The class went rather well until they were to practice the most difficult branch of Human Transfiguration - Cloning. McGonagall had set an essay, but only a foot long, on the benefits that this branch of Transfiguration had in Auror training. Many of her Transfiguration students wished to become Aurors and this was one requirement Harry was planning on passing with flying colours. Although he did not care much for cloning…he'd had enough trouble with the Polyjuice Potion in becoming Goyle in his second year…he was not disappointed to find that they were going to be working with a partner.

After taking a few complex notes and handing in their completed essays, each student was paired up with the person beside whom they were sitting…as instructed by Professor McGonagall. Both Harry and Faith looked at each other and smiled before beginning their lesson. Harry noticed little things about Faith…other than her gorgeous violet eyes…that set his heart aflutter. She had these inch-long, perfectly manicured fingernails…the French variety…each one sporting a violet jewel at the tip. Her flawless complexion seemed carved out of the finest porcelain gold could buy and her eyebrows twitched slightly as she waited for Harry to finish staring at her. He wasn't able to hear Faith calling him until she waved her hand in his face.

"Well, are you ready to practice, Harry?" she asked, "I've been calling your name for the past five minutes. Are you all right?"

Faith's concern was genuine and Harry couldn't help but blush, "I'm fine," he said, trying to hide the nervousness he felt as he sat beside her, "I was just admiring your fingernails. I've never seen jewels on anyone's nails before. It's very pretty." Harry gazed into her eyes as he complimented her. Faith smiled warmly, "Thanks," she replied, "It took me all summer to grow them. Normally I just file them down because I play the piano and the clicking noise drives me up the wall, but I've quit playing since my godfather died. I used to play for him all of the time and now…"

Her voice trailed off. She blinked and bit her lower lip to fight away the tears. Harry's face fell. He didn't mean to upset her and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to…I mean…I'm sorry about your godfather. I'm sure he was a great man."

Faith nodded and said, "Thanks," she said, a stray tear had found itself on her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, "I miss him a lot. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," said Harry, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have said anything."

Nodding again, Faith opened her copy of Advanced Transfiguration to the middle of the book, page two hundred and forty-five, where they were to recite the incantation, "Clonicorpus!" which worked similarly to the Polyjuice Potion. It caused the person on which the spell was being cast, to resemble the caster for at least two hours if cast properly. However should the caster make a slight mispronunciation, the effects of the spell would wear off on various parts of the body at different times.

Harry went first. Faith cast the spell, "Clonocorpus!" pointing her wand directly at Harry's heart. At first, Harry didn't feel anything happening, but a few seconds later, Harry looked down and saw that he had grown breasts and hair. Harry felt very odd. Moments ago he was a boy and now he had a girl's body. He quickly brushed his hand over a breast, but decided not to linger. It was too much for him.

Faith looked curiously at her cloned body and slapped Harry's hand away anyway, "Harry!" she chastised, "I didn't think you were like that!" However, her eyes betrayed her as she looked like she was enjoying this.

"I'm sorry, Faith," he said in what was her voice, "I don't know what came over me. This is all so…"

"Weird?" she offered. Harry nodded, "It's normal, I think. Want to clone me?"

Harry nodded and recited the spell, "Clonicorpus!" and Faith's body looked exactly like Harry's. They both felt weird. Here they were as each other, but they were themselves inside. It was like something out of a corny Disney movie…about two people switching bodies because of something that one person wished. This wasn't one of those times. A split second later, Faith realized something. Frantically, she began flipping through her book.

"Uh-oh!" she exclaimed, in Harry's voice when she had found the page.

"What?" asked Harry, paranoid, "Didn't I do it right?"

"You did," said Faith, scanning the book, "But I didn't!"

Harry's jaw dropped. Here he was, thinking that he was partnered up with the smartest person in the entire school…when she just told him she had messed up! Harry's knees were turning to jelly as he tried to fight the dizziness. His head was spinning and he collapsed in his chair. He was exhausted but in no pain. Just the initial shock gave Harry the feeling of being sick, "What?" he asked groggily, "What do you mean, you didn't? You're the smartest person in the class and you tell me you didn't do it right? How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Mistakes happen, Harry," she said, "I think I did it right, only I said "Clono" instead of "Cloni" and now you're stuck being me for a week. I'm really sorry, Harry."

Faith sat down and began to sob. She buried her head in her hands. Harry tried to console her, but she was sobbing so badly her shoulders shook and he couldn't find a way to place a hand on her shoulder. Finally, Professor McGonagall saw Faith shaking and inquired about what had happened.

Harry explained everything to Professor McGonagall…leaving out the small little detail of him trying to touch one of Faith's breasts…who listened patiently. Faith had calmed down enough for Professor McGonagall to lay a hand on her shoulder, "There, there, child," she comforted, "We'll get this sorted out within the week. You'll be normal in a couple of hours. Perhaps you will be more careful next time, Miss Richardson. Accidents happen, but if you mess up again in my class, you will find that you will have no choice but to drop this class. We cannot afford very many mishaps like this. Please accompany Mr Potter to the Hospital wing. You are excused from classes for the time being, but you must report to me for detention each night that Mr Potter is still you. Are we clear?"

"P-p-perfectly, Professor," said Faith, sputtering as she tried to catch her breath, "I underst-t-tand. I will t-try t-t-to b-be more c-careful. I p-promise."

Harry and Faith went down the hall and found themselves face-to-face with Peeves the Poltergest.

"Why it's Potty and Faithy!" he cackled, "My, my, my, wait till Peevesy tells the ickle sevens that Potty is a crybaby. Everybody will make fun of him."

Apparently Peeves thought Faith was Harry, "Watch out, Peeves," said Harry, trying to make up an excuse for Peeves to leave, so he tried to mimic Faith's voice as best he could, "I don't think Professor McGonagall would appreciate you making fun of Harry. Besides, he's still mourning Dumbledore's death. He still thinks it's his fault."

Peeves' mouth began to quiver, "Headmaster Dumbledore was a great man, he let me stay here despite complaints from the other ghosts. I'm going to miss him too."

Luckily, Peeves began to sob silently and he slunk away, into a portrait of a very thin grey-haired old man holding a pitchfork and his wife with similar expressions of boredom on their faces. Harry had sworn he'd seen that portrait before, but he couldn't place it. Without thinking, he took Faith's hand and led her to the hospital wing.

Faith immediately stopped and took her hand away from Harry's, "Look, Harry," she said, "I'm not usually emotional like this. I've just got a lot on my mind right now that don't even have anything to do with school, so I'd much rather talk about something other than what we've just been talking about."

Harry concluded that Faith wasn't making sense at all and he just smiled, "I think Madam Pomfrey can help you anyway. I'll let her examine me to determine how long I'll be staying like this. I didn't expect this to happen, but even if this only lasts a few days, it will be worth spending the time to get to know you."

Faith smiled weakly and shrugged, "We'll see. Let's just get you better."

Madam Pomfrey knew instantly what had gone wrong, and tried to make Harry as comfortable as possible by fluffing his pillows and fussing over the angle of the bed. Satisfied, she left them for a minute to get something from her storage cupboards.

"What do you suppose she's going to do?" asked Harry, "I'm sure this thing will wear off eventually. I'm not even sure I know how to act like a girl."

Faith burst into laughter, "This, coming from a guy who tried to touch my breasts just a couple of seconds into the transformation," she looked sternly at him, but she was laughing too hard, "Sorry, I tend to make jokes when something more serious is at hand. I'll teach you if you like. First of all, we'll have to move you in to my dormitory. When I change back into myself, that is."

Harry's eyes widened. He was going to be sleeping in the girls' dormitory? How lucky could he get? Faith was beautiful. He couldn't wait to spend some time alone with her…just to get to know her better. Since Harry wasn't going to be attending classes, this was the perfect opportunity to ask her about the Horcruxes.


	4. Twice The Faith

**CHAPTER FOUR – TWICE THE FAITH**

Meanwhile in the Transfiguration classroom, Professor McGonagall was trying to calm the students down, as another pair of students had panicked, thinking they had made the same mistake as Faith just moments ago.

"That is quite enough, class!" shouted Professor McGonagall, "I do not believe that Mr Weasley and Miss Granger have transfigured themselves into each other for more than two hours. We will wait it out. Now on to the next portion of the lesson…"

Back in the Hospital Wing, Faith had already switched back to her normal self, while Harry still remained in Faith's body. And what a body! Harry had to admit that Faith had a nicely proportioned body underneath her robes, and he only looked briefly as he changed into the hospital gown. Faith had helped, batting his hands away if they ever got near a private area. Eventually, Harry thought, Faith would have to get used to the fact that he was going to have to touch them sooner or later when he washed.

Faith kept apologizing to Harry and her tears flowed freely as she sobbed, holding Harry's hand, wanting to make everything go away. She had used an Unforgivable curse…she could have been sent to Azkaban…but it was self-defence…it really didn't give her peace of mind that her being who she was made the Wizengamot decide to give her a second chance. As she sat looking at Harry, she wondered if she would be taken to Azkaban for her mistake.

Emotionally, she was very distraught, especially since her godfather died. He was more than just a godfather…he was her mentor. He tutored her much like he had with others like her, and she felt an overwhelming urge to tell Harry everything…but all in due time, she thought. All in due time.

"Faith…" said Harry in her own voice…sounding just a bit tired.

"I'm here, Harry," she said, half sobbing, "Merlin, Harry, I'm so sorry! It is entirely my fault! I should have paid more attention to the pronunciation. My mother's going to send me such a howler the whole Great Hall will explode!"

Harry sat up, surprised at how heavy his bosom was, as it got in the way when he tried to fold his arms over his chest…Faith's chest. This time, Faith was too busy sobbing to care about where Harry's hands were. It pained her to see Harry in pain, and she asked him if it hurt any.

"No, it doesn't," he said, "I just have a little bit of a backache. How do you cope with these things?"

Faith laughed as she knew to what Harry was referring…her breasts, "Now, Harry…what I need to lend you is a bra. A contraption women use to keep them in place. If Madam Pomfrey gives you clearance to leave the Hospital Wing, we can go back to my dormitory and you can borrow my spare uniform and some undergarments," she said half laughing, half crying, "Look at me, I'm laughing instead of feeling bad that I put you in this predicament."

Harry shook his head, "Don't worry about it," he said, "Let's just take it an hour at a time. I'm only concerned about what will happen when the spell starts to wear off and I have both these and my...well…my male parts."

Harry blushed at the thought. Even though he looked like a female, his thoughts were gearing towards Faith and her beauty…especially her violet eyes. Harry knew he shouldn't be looking at them…or at her in that way. He was only seventeen years old and he had time to find a girl and fall in love with her. But he hadn't had many dates. The one with Cho Chang in fifth year at Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade was a proven disaster…she actually wanted to talk about Cedric Diggory, whom she was seeing before the Triwizard Tournament in Harry's fourth year. However, as Harry sat there in the hospital bed, he couldn't help but think how nice Faith was, but he had some reservations about her.

He felt like he could trust her, but deep down in his heart, he did not want to be hurt. Harry knew that Faith was sincere in her remorse about putting him in this unusual predicament. Being a girl for a couple of weeks would either be a blessing or a curse. Harry hoped it would be the former. He wanted to experience everything…to see what Faith had to go through every single day of her life.

Faith couldn't help but smile and she blushed as well, "You know, Harry, I wish I could take it all back. I wish I had enunciated properly. If I had, you would not be in this mess. I feel just awful!"

Again, tears began to fall. Harry felt sorry for her…even more so than he felt for himself in his predicament. He could not imagine how she would feel, having him as her clone, roaming the castle. Harry reached out and touched her hand again, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"Don't worry," he said, "I've been in worse situations than this. I don't think there's anything harmful about being a girl for two weeks."

Harry gave Faith a brave smile and made to squeeze her hand in reassurance. Instead, Faith found herself hugging Harry, feeling her cloned body hugging her back. It felt a bit awkward, but nothing could have prepared Harry for the sensations he felt as Faith pressed her body against him. He felt quite content and warm, as though everything would turn out okay. In fact, when Faith let Harry go, he collapsed onto the pillow.

"I'll stay with you until you have to go back to the dormitories, Harry," said Faith, "It's my fault you're like this, and I won't let you out of my sight for a minute…while you're my clone, that is. I need to teach you how to put on a bra, how to remove the hair from your legs and possibly how to put on a pair of pantyhose."

"HUH?" Harry asked loudly, "You mean I'm going to have to shave my legs?"

Faith nodded, "Probably in a couple of days' time," she said, looking down at her own legs, "It's something we could do together. Now, get some sleep. I'll be here reading if you need anything."

Harry nodded and he instantly fell asleep. He quickly began to dream about walking down the corridors as Faith, all of the boys gawking and staring, trying to grope him or even, Merlin forbid…kiss him! He tried to fight them off, but since they were boys, he had no strength and his wand wasn't with him. Then, they turned into Death Eaters…Voldemort was among them, and they began to torment Harry as Faith, throwing curse after curse at him. Harry's scar began to throb badly. He bucked and thrashed on the bed, making incoherent sounds.

Then, something miraculous happened. Harry felt a hand on his, and instantly, the nightmare was gone. When Harry opened his eyes, he saw Faith standing over him, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his forehead.

"Harry! Are you okay?" Faith asked, "You were having a nightmare about Voldemort, weren't you?"

"Huh?" he asked, "How did you know?"

"Nothing else could have explained the bucking and thrashing…and of course, you were clutching at your scar. I don't have to be Dumbledore to know that you are experiencing those nightmares again," Faith said seriously, "I don't pretend to know everything. I have only been taught a minimal amount of Occlumency and Legilimency due to the Junior Aurorship Program at the Ministry. However, there is something I sense is troubling you. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. Just know I'm here if you want to talk. Now get some rest."

Harry nodded, "But you don't need to stay," he said, "I'll be fine."

Faith shook her head and patted Harry on the shoulder, "I'll feel much better if I stayed with you. Even though you are my clone, you still have your own magic in you. If my instincts are correct, I can only assume that in my body, he can enter your mind more easily and more often. I need to be with you at all times. Because you are now female, Voldemort is going to enjoy torturing you even more because of it."

Harry never thought of that. Perhaps he was more vulnerable in Faith's body than he was in his own. Even though her magic wasn't flowing through his veins, he did feel slightly drained of his own magical reserve, "I guess you're right," said Harry, "But if that's the case, why do I feel drained of my power?"

"I don't really know the answer to that, Harry," Faith answered, taking her place in the chair by Harry's bed, "I will have to do some research on that at the library, or talk to Professor McGonagall. Either way, I intend to make some sense out of this. I wish Professor Dumbledore were still alive…he'll know the answer…unless…"

"Unless what?" asked Harry.

"Unless I can speak with his portrait," said Faith, "The more powerful a witch or wizard is, Harry, the more of him or herself they leave behind when a portrait of them is painted. I will ask Professor McGonagall for her permission to speak with Dumbledore's portrait. That way, I can determine what is troubling you and how we can solve the problem of you having these nightmares…" Faith paused and took a deep breath, clutching her head in her hand, "Mind you, I wish there were some way I could help you with Occlumency or even teach you some Legilimency…though I believe you already possess some natural ability with being connected to Voldemort through your scar."

"How do you know we're connected?" asked Harry, "The only people who know about that are dead. Professor Dumbledore and Sirius Black."

Faith smiled at the mention of Sirius, "A good man Sirius was," said Faith, "He helped my parents out with a few things before he passed through the Veil. We had several wonderful conversations during the summer before fifth year…" Her voice trailed off, "But that's all in the past, Harry. We need to focus on now. If you just get some rest, we can have lunch together and then after that, we can see about facing the rest of the school."

Harry gasped, "Oy," he said, "I guess I'll have to face them sometime. But I can't be you. You'll have to teach me how to properly act like a girl."

Faith laughed, "Oh, I will, Harry," she said, "No doubt about that. Now get some rest. I'll be here." Harry nodded as he felt Faith's hand grasping his and soon, Harry's eyelids began to droop. Harry dreamt the same dream…but no Death Eaters or Voldemort entered his mind and he had a somewhat peaceful sleep…other than a few boys trying to kiss him…and one succeeding. That wasn't a dream…it was a nightmare. Harry immediately brushed his teeth in his dream.

Three hours later, Harry opened his eyes. Faith was gently snoozing in her chair, her glasses on her nose and the book she was reading, pressed against her abdomen as her arm held it in place. The instant Harry woke, Faith opened her eyes.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Faith said, "I was reading this book and decided to practice some Shared Occlumency. I left for ten minutes and asked Madam Pince if I could borrow this book. She didn't ask any questions when I showed her my Auror badge. When I told her it was to help you, she also gave me this book…" Faith held up a large bound leather volume titled Accidental Magic Reversal: A Healer's Guide.

"Healer's guide?" Harry asked, "Why would you need that?"

Faith just smiled, "I'd been doing some Healing during my apprenticeship at the Ministry last summer and I became quite adept at healing deep gashes and reversing quite a lot of curses and hexes at St. Mungo's Hospital last month. When I saw the book on the shelf, I asked Madam Pince if she had any books on Accidental Magic Reversal, and she gave me this one…the one that they use at the Ministry Hospital. Mind you, I've only gone through half of the book."

Harry took another look. The tome looked to be about ten thousand pages long. How could Faith read something like that? Unless it was full of illustrations, she was about as resourceful as Hermione.

"So how will this book help me?" Harry asked, propping himself up into a sitting position.

"The way I see it, Harry, is that I accidentally mispronounced a word in the Cloning Spell. What I am about to attempt, is what they call the Reversiclonus Spell, which essentially fixes the Cloning spell, and gives the victim of the spell a week to gradually transform back without the risk of the slight deformities mentioned in the book. For example, having both female breasts and the male reproductive organ at the same time."

Harry let out a breath, "You can prevent that from happening?" Harry asked.

Faith nodded, "I can try," she said, "I will need complete silence for this. Madam Pomfrey has given me the go ahead for this."

Just then, Madam Pomfrey came in to check on Harry, fluffing his pillows.

"Everything all right, dears?" she asked, "I trust you are ready to perform the spell, Miss Richardson?"

Faith nodded and stood up, her wand at the ready, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Madame Pomfrey," she said, "Now Harry, this won't hurt a bit…I hope..."

In a manner of five seconds, Faith uttered the spell, "Reversiclonus!" and waved her wand in a quite unusual pattern. Instead of swishing and flicking, she flicked before she swished and her wand glowed a bright white before it surrounded Harry's body, fixing the cloning part. Harry only felt a bit of discomfort, like someone was enveloping him in a very hot blanket and pricking him with a needle. As soon as it came, the little pain Harry felt was gone.

Instantly, Harry felt better and Faith dropped her wand, as her hand had become sweaty from being so nervous. Harry laughed.

"I guess I'm not the only one who's clumsy," Harry said, "But I feel much better now."

"I'm glad," she said, picking up her wand, turning to Madam Pomfrey, "Did I do that right?"

Madam Pomfrey just grinned after performing a complex charm on Harry that checked his vital signs and his healing status…or in this case…clone reversal status. After a pause, "Yes, child," she said, "Well done. Now if you'd like, I can have a house-elf bring you lunch. Or you may go to the Great Hall. Your choice."

Faith looked at Harry, "What do you say, Harry?" Faith asked, "Ready to face the school in my body?"

Harry looked down and noticed he was wearing the same thing as Faith. But how he became clothed, was beyond him at this moment, "Well," he said, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

He got up out of the hospital bed and put on the shoes that were beside the bed. The heels were slightly higher than he was used to, but he got the hang of it after a few uneasy steps. Faith held onto his arm until he was stable enough.

"Okay," said Faith, "Now all you have to do is take smaller steps, and follow my lead. I'll do all the talking if anyone tries to make fun of you. Your scar is still quite visible, actually."

Harry chuckled nervously, "Well, that hasn't changed," he said, "It was always visible."

Faith and Harry walked down the hall and took the stairs to the Great Hall for lunch. As soon as Faith and Harry-as-Faith entered, the entire hall fell silent, except for the whispering that followed. Apparently word had spread that Harry had been turned into Faith. However, nobody was laughing. A few boys that Harry knew liked Faith from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, made eyes at him. It felt awkward for Harry, having guys staring at him.

Faith, however, grabbed Harry by the arm and led him straight to where Ron and Hermione were. Thankfully, the two of them didn't laugh or stare.

"Thank goodness the two of you came down," said Hermione, "We were worried that you would become a hermit for the next two weeks."

"It's now only a week," said Harry, "Faith performed a clone reversal spell and hopefully I'll be myself in a week's time."

Ron, on the other hand couldn't help but grin, "Harry," he said, "You look good. I think this might be an improvement on how you usually look."

Harry smacked him on the arm, "Hey!" he said, "When I get my body back, you are seriously getting a beating!"

Ron laughed, "I'm only joking, Harry," he said, "So you're like this for a week?"

Harry nodded, "I will be sleeping in the girls' dormitory from tonight until I switch back," he said as he began to pile food onto his plate. He was starving now, "In the meantime, I'm going to see what it's like being a girl."

Hermione smiled, "We can study together," she offered, "Don't forget we have N.E.W.T.'s this June."

Harry groaned, "Do you always have to remind us about studying?" he asked, "When I have a question, I'll ask you. But I'm sure Faith can help as well, can't you, Faith?"

Harry waited for Faith's response. A seventh-year Slytherin boy had stopped her and he was quite close to her, caressing her arm. To his relief, she smacked his arm away. Harry then realized who the seventh-year boy was. He had longish, blond hair.

"Not in a million years, Draco!" she said and she turned from him. She sat down and began to pile food on her plate.

"Honestly," said Faith, "I don't see how Draco can ask me out after that whole thing with Dumbledore last year. I thought I made it clear to him that I don't want anything to do with him."

Faith fumed, but she began to devour everything on her plate, "Oh, by the way, Harry," she said, "Yes, I'll help you study if you want me to."

She smiled at him before turning to Hermione, "We'll have some fun for the next week."

Lunch played out more the same. As Harry turned to leave with Faith, he found that a lot of the boys were coming up to him, making fun of him mostly, but a few of them tried to pull him in for a kiss, thinking he was Faith. His scar, at this point, was not visible under the fringe.

The next thing Harry knew, Faith had her want pressed against the boy's throat, "Unless you want me to hex you till kingdom come, you will let Harry go."

The seventh-year Ravenclaw boy let Harry go as though he were something smelly and mumbled his apology.

"Sorry, Faith," he said, "I thought he was you. I distinctly remember the last time we kissed and I wanted that memory back."

Faith slapped him and took away her wand, "Next time you should feel so inclined, I would hope you'd have a better approach than to just do it. Ask, first, Terry."

Terry Boot nodded in defeat and slumped off.

"Harry, are you okay?" Faith asked soothingly.

Harry nodded, but was visibly shaken, "I'm fine," he said, "Now I see how difficult it is to be you. I never knew you had so many…er…admirers."

Faith laughed, "I wouldn't call them admirers. Stalkers more like it. I don't know how many times Terry's asked me out, and he once kissed me in the Ravenclaw common-room. But that was only once. I haven't had a real boyfriend yet. I guess I'm just waiting for someone who's not after me simply because of the way I look."

Harry smiled, "I'm not," he said to himself.

"What do you mean by that?" Faith asked, "What do you mean you're not?"

Oh boy, Harry thought, "You heard that?" he asked.

Faith nodded, "Sometimes I can hear people's thoughts. It happens quite randomly actually. I never know when it happens…it just does. I don't even realize it happens until something awkward like this occurs."

Harry took a deep breath, "All right," he said, "Just know that you're not just a pretty face to me. That's all I'm going to say right now or I'll be in more hot water than I care to be."

Harry hoped Faith wouldn't catch his blush. Faith laughed, "I'm flattered Harry, really," she said, "I'm just not interested right now."

Harry looked sad, "Why not?"

"Well, for one," she said, "You're my spitting image. How would it look right now if I were to snog myself?"

Harry was shocked, "I guess it would look like you were batting for the other team."

"Exactly," said Faith, "Now second…in a week's time, I might consider it."

"Consider what?" Harry asked.

"Never mind," said Faith, "Now let's get to the common-room. I believe we need to discuss some things regarding those remaining Horcruxes. That, and we can get you started on your lessons in being a girl."

Harry laughed, "All right," he said, "Let's go."

With that, Faith and Harry walked all the way up the stairs to the Gryffindor common-room, only to come face-to-face with Professor Snape.

"Well, it is true," said Snape, "You have become Miss Richardson's clone, Potter."

Harry turned to look at Snape and nodded.

"We're just going to the common-room to study," Faith said, "Harry and I have a bit of catching up to do for the next week. Professor McGonagall's said that we don't need to attend classes this week."

"That is true," said Professor Snape, "If you would study chapters fifteen through seventeen and hand in one essay on each topic as the book indicates, on my desk by Saturday morning, you will then be given a brief lesson on the defence of the Unforgivables."

"Thank you, Professor," said Faith, "Harry and I will be sure to finish the essays on time. How long should they be?"

Professor Snape looked pensive and he said, "No more than two feet of parchment in total," he said, "I do not want drivel or any other unwanted information as Miss Granger always gives. Precise and to the point as usual, Miss Richardson, I will expect no less than an Outstanding grade from you. As well as Mr Potter. Unfortunately, the Dementor lesson will be postponed a week, due to your error, Miss Richardson."

"I understand, Sir," said Faith, "Have a good day."

Snape nodded and said, "Good day."

With a swish of his cloak, he was gone. Faith and Harry walked up the staircase and reached the common room. The portrait of the Fat Lady gasped in surprise.

"Merlin's beard," she said, "Two of you?"

Faith laughed, "Just a little Transfiguration mishap," she said, "The other me is Harry. Please let us in. Pumpkin Pasties."

"Very well," she said, and she swung open to reveal the portrait hole. Harry followed Faith and the two of them got straight to work on their Dark Arts homework.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. In a week's time, he would be back to normal. In a week's time, he thought, as he watched Faith's brilliant violet eyes concentrating on reading her textbook, her glasses askew, he would think to ask her out to Hogsmeade. He was beginning to have the same feelings for Faith as he had for Ginny…about whom he had quickly forgotten. He cared for Ginny deeply but she just wasn't…well…Faith. Minutes passed and Harry hadn't even opened his textbook. He was just watching Faith as she now had her quill and ink ready for her first essay.

"Aren't you going to study, Harry?" Faith asked, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Oh, right," he said sheepishly, opening up his textbook and beginning to read, "Sorry…just thinking."

Faith smiled at him and they resumed their homework, the conversation about the Horcruxes forgotten once again.


End file.
